Words and phrases to avoid

Buzzwords are not new. All industries and professions use acronyms and buzzwords. In so many forms of communication, we can all be more effective and original by avoiding frequently used, and annoying words.

In a recent article on Business Insider, many annoying words and phrases to avoid were highlighted.

This is an employers/recruiters perspective of the words to avoid in a resume.

Leadership. According to LinkedIn, ‘leadership’ was the top buzzword on its user’s profiles. And if the word doesn’t help you stand out on your LinkedIn profile, you can bet it won’t make your résumé more eye-catching, either.

Exceptional communicator. The recruiter will quickly work this out.

Phone: Yes, we all know those 8-9 digits must be a phone number, so why state the obvious?

email: We all know that the @ symbol indicates an email address. You don’t need to formally introduce an email address.

References on request: Employers always request references at the interview, so why state it on your resume?

Hardworking: I hope so! So, why state this?

People-oriented: You’re a nurse. Why state this, just seems silly.

Results driven: Prove it! Tell me what the results were.

Team player: Again, I hope so. Tell me how you collaborated in a team to achieve something. Did you save time or money?

Honest: Why are you telling me this?

Punctual: We stopped using Bundy clocks years ago. I care more about what you will achieve

I: This resume is about you, right? So why are you telling me in first person?

Successfully: Are you’re telling me that everything else was unsuccessful or less successful?

Hit the ground running: This is right up there with over-achiever, ambitious and high-performer. You’re just wasting space that should be used for quantitative achievements

Extensive experience: What does this mean? Should be quantified with the number of years experience, or state the level of expertise.